Fifteen
by Violetta737
Summary: It's Oliver Wood's last year at Hogwarts, and his youngest Chaser isn't too pleased about this.  Follow Katie Bell as she learns that there is more to life than schoolwork and Quidditch, and more to romance than she originally thought.
1. The Train Ride

I stood on the platform with my oversized, brown trunk, my eyes scanning the crowd of students. Red hair, I thought. Where is the red hair? Suddenly, a heavy arm dropped around my shoulder, causing me to jump.

"Look what I found, George!" I turned my head around, laughing. Well, I found the red hair. Fred had that impish twinkle in his eye, giving me reason for alarm.

"What are you up to?" I asked, slightly concerned.

"Miss Katie Bell, why in the world would you think we're up to something?" George appeared from the mass of people, clamping his arm around my other shoulder.

"Us, George, up to something?" Fred smiled, innocently.

"Never," replied George, and they both squeezed me as hard as they could.

"Ouch!" I cried, laughing. "Really, you two, I could just-"

"Katie! Weasley!" We all turned around to see Alicia waving at us from ten feet away. "Come on," she continued. "You're going to miss the train!" I glanced at the clock; the train was leaving in a minute.

Before I had the chance to say anything, Fred picked me up and flung me over his shoulder. I shrieked in surprise.

"Fred, what are you doing?" He just laughed as he walked toward Alicia. "Fred, my trunk-"

"Got it, love," replied George from behind us.

"You know, Fred, I'm perfectly capable of walking by myself," I complained.

"Yeah, but you're short. Don't want to miss the train!" I rolled my eyes even though I knew neither of the twins could see me. Boys.

By the time we found Angelina, Lee, and an empty compartment, a good fifteen minutes had passed. The hours on the train flew by; Angelina and Alicia were chatting on about summer flings, and Fred and George were informing Lee of all their new inventions. I tried not to eavesdrop; the less I knew about Fred and George's pranks, the less paranoid I was. I stared out the window, watching the rolling green hills zoom past. Catching up with friends was fun, yes, but there would be time for that later tonight. Watching the scenery of northern England and Scotland fly by was an experience available only every September and June. I was about to enter my fourth year at Hogwarts, and I couldn't wait to get back. I loved my home, but being away from magic for a whole three months grated against my sanity. The lack of flying was the worst. I longed to get back on my broom and fly until the moon came up.

"Katie! Katie Bell!" Angelina's voice pulled me from my daydream.

"Mmm?" I responded, still staring out the window.

"I just asked you if you met anyone cute over the summer," she said, laughing.

"Oh," I replied, looking around. Fred and George were watching me intently, grinning; Lee was staring down at the floor, and Angelina and Alicia were trying not to smile. I wasn't sure what was so funny. "Not really," I answered truthfully. I opened my mouth to speak again, but closed it as I realized I had nothing else to say.

"Not really? That's the best you have?" Alicia sounded slightly disappointed.

"Would you like me to make something up?" I smiled.

"Yeah!" Fred and George chorused together. Alicia elbowed George, whom she happened to be sitting next to.

"Oh, Katie, Katie, Katie…" said Angelina, shaking her head. "One of these days, you're going to wake up and realize that boys exist."

"She's only fourteen, you know," agreed Alicia.

"Almost fifteen!" I practically shouted. My birthday was in two weeks and I wasn't going to let anyone forget that. They laughed. I stuck my tongue out at them.

"That's the spirit, Katie!" Fred cheered me on. Angelina and Alicia both rolled their eyes and went back to discussing who was dating whom.

"So, Katie, tell us about your summer," said George.

"Well," I started, swinging my knees around to face the twins. "I did a lot of muggle cleaning-"

"Cleaning without magic? Why would you waste your time doing that?" Fred sounded shocked.

"Muggle-born, Fred," I said with a smile. I know that being a muggle-born isn't the best trait to have as a witch, but I was secretly proud of my blood status. I played Quidditch just as well as anybody on the team, and I got better grades than Fred and George combined, who were both purebloods. Not that they were stupid, by any means; they just never bothered to study. The Slytherins may think being a muggle-born is bad, but who wants to be friends with them?

"Right, right," he said, shaking his head.

"I hung out with some old friends, too. But I can only handle so much of that. It's weird, you know, hanging out with them now that I've been at Hogwarts. Every time they ask me about school, I can't tell them anything. It leads to awkward pauses," I finished.

"And of course, you ran." We all turned to the door to see the smiling face of Oliver Wood looking down at us.

"Ollie!" The twins cried, acting obnoxiously overjoyed. Angelina and Alicia smiled back, trying not to giggle. They had both developed a little crush on him at the end of last term. I raised my eyebrows at them, laughing.

"How'd you know, Oliver?" I asked.

"Because, Bell, whenever you're antsy, you run. And you're always antsy." I couldn't argue with him there. Maybe he knew me a little better than I thought.

"I'm you're Quidditch captain, Katie. I know you well." He grinned, as though reading my mind. How'd he do that?

"Is there a reason you dropped by, dear Ollie-kins?" George asked.

"Perhaps to chat up our dear sweet Katie?" Fred added, both of them cracking up. Lee made an odd noise. I looked over at him, and he blushed. I turned my focus back to Oliver.

"The whole team is in here. I wanted to go over some tactics I thought up over the summer-" A loud groan echoed from both Angelina and Alicia, and Fred and George stopped laughing.

"Really, Oliver, you didn't spend your whole summer thinking about Quidditch," Fred complained loudly.

"We're not even at Hogwarts yet and here's Wood, ready to go-"

"Harry," I interrupted George's whining. "We're missing Harry. Someone go get Harry."

"Katie!" hollered Alicia. "Do you _want_ to spend the rest of the train ride talking about nothing but Quidditch tactics?" I made a face at her. I wouldn't mind a bit, but I could see it would have killed every other member of our team. Actually, I just wanted my broom.

"Hey, Oliver, what do you think of the new Firebolt?" Although I had turned to face him, I could still see Alicia mouth _thank you _from the other side. I raised my eyebrows before giving my full attention to Oliver.

"And the level of speed alone, it's incredible that a company has _finally_ managed to get a broom to go so fast!" He finished, practically out of breath. He appeared to be lost in a daydream. I tried not to laugh at him.

"What?" He asked suddenly. I bit my lower lip, willing myself not to giggle.

"Nothing, Oliver, nothing. Do you think you're going to get a Firebolt?" His illuminated face fell a little.

"Are you kidding, Bell? Who can afford one of those?" I nodded in agreement. I sure as heck couldn't.

Suddenly, the train lurched. I flew from my seat, landing on top of one of the twins.

"What the-" The train shook again, stopping completely this time. The room went pitch black. I heard Angelina and Alicia yelp, followed by a loud thud. Somebody grabbed my arm, pulling me off of George and back into my seat.

"What's going on?" George asked, his voice cracking.

"Everyone, stay calm, it'll be okay," Alicia replied shakily. I realized the hand that was still grasped around my arm belong to Oliver.

"Sit still, Katie," he whispered in my ear. All of a sudden, the room grew icily cold. All the warmth of Oliver's hand, my friends, and thoughts of flying felt as thought it were a million miles away. I wanted to cry.

"What's going on, Oliver?" I looked up at him, trying to find his eyes in the dark.

"Dementors, Katie." He sounded as sad as I felt. "These have got to be Dementors."

"Why are they on the train?"

"I don't know, Kates." He wrapped his entire arm around my shoulder and pulled me close, as though trying to stay warm. I leaned my head into his chest. I wanted this to be over.

"Anyone afraid of the dark?" Fred said devilishly. His comment was met with groans from everyone.

"Not now, Fred," snapped Angelina. "George, where are you?"

"Over here, Ang," he replied. I heard the muffled sound of knees crawling over carpet.

As quickly as they had disappeared, the lights flashed back on. Warmth entered the room again as everyone began to reassemble themselves. I saw Angelina and George move apart quickly, slightly red. Alicia picked herself up off the floor, and Fred released his death grip from his wand. Everyone was staring at Oliver and I.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You and Ollie, Katie? I never would have guessed!" mocked Fred. My eyes widened a little and my face grew hot as I realized I was still very close to Oliver.

"It was cold," I mumbled pathetically as I shrugged his arm from around me and moved back to the center of my seat. I still felt a little cold.

"Whatever you say, dearest Katherine," replied Fred, rolling his eyes. "Hey, who's up for a game of Exploding Snap?"

"Me! I am!" A rounding chorus echoed through the compartment. Fred grinned mischievously as he pulled the game out of his pocket.

"Anyway, Katie, the new Firebolt, I heard it has this new feature that-" He stopped suddenly, interrupting himself. "Oh, Katie, did you hear about Puddlemere?" I shook my head, knowing he would tell me regardless of my answer. "Well, their Keeper-"

"Green?"

"Yeah, Green, he's retiring after this season!" Wood looked absolutely thrilled. I was a little confused.

"Why is this good news? He's a fabulous keeper," I asked, my forehead furrowed.

"Come on, Katie. Don't you see?" He leaned a little closer so no one else would hear him. I inhaled; he smelled like detergent. Really good detergent.

"Green is retiring after this season. That means the reserve, Stilling, will move up." A look of comprehension spread across my face.

"Which means the spot of reserve keeper will be open when you graduate!" His face, if possible, lit up even more. Oliver's always wanted to play for Puddlemere United.

"Exactly!" He whispered, although I could tell he'd rather shout it. I bounced my knees out of excitement.

"Oliver, that's _fantastic _news!" His eyes twinkled with delight. A sudden thought punched me in the stomach. Oliver was graduating.

"What's wrong, Katie?" Oliver must have noticed the energy disappear from my eyes.

"Nothing," I said, giving him my best smile. I wanted to run. I needed to run. The train compartment suddenly felt very claustrophobic.

"I'm going to the bathroom," I said, standing up.

"Not in here!" cried Fred, covering his face. I rolled my eyes as I opened the door and jogged down the narrow hallway to the bathroom. Opening the door, I slammed it shut and peered at myself in the mirror. My brown eyes and pinkish face stared back at me.

So, Oliver was graduating. Why had this hit me with such force? He was a seventh year. Of course he was graduating. I'd known he'd graduate from Hogwarts all along. Fred and George would graduate two years after that. Then, Alicia and Angelina would graduate. Then I would graduate. What was the big deal? I didn't even know Oliver that well. He was only my captain. The little voice in the back of my head began to say something, but was interrupted by a loud, booming voice.

"The Hogwarts Express will be arriving in Hogsmeade in fifteen minutes. Students, the Hogwarts Express will be arriving in fifteen minutes." Crap. I splashed my face with cold water to calm myself down, and squeezed my way through the masses of students now lining the halls. By the time I made it back to my friends, the train was beginning to slow down.

"Long bathroom break, eh, Katie?" George asked when I reentered the compartment, winking.

"Didn't run into Lee Jordan on the way, did you?" Fred piped in. The two of them dissolved into laughter.

"Huh?" I looked around, realizing for the first time that Lee was no longer in the compartment.

"Good one, Fred," George choked out. Alicia and Angelina rolled their eyes.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I said, looking at the twins. This comment made them laugh even harder.

"Of course you don't," Oliver said from behind me. "You're Katie Bell." I turned to him.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Oblivious as rocks," replied Alicia. "Come on guys, we better go. We don't want the train taking us back to London." I backed out of the doorway, leaving room for them all to get out. Angelina trailed out after Alicia, with Fred and George on their heels.

"After you, miss," Oliver grinned, holding his arm out. I raised my eyebrows, surprised. A chivalrous Oliver Wood?

"And you think all I ever think about is Quidditch."

"No, Oliver, I don't."

"Really?" He sounded surprised.

"Nope. I _know _it." I giggled, running off before he could reply. I had a feeling that my fourth year was going to be a fun one.


	2. Always Late

**A/N- Thank you to those of you who reviewed/put me on alert! I hope this next chapter does not disappoint!**

**Also, I am trying to stay as accurate to the books as possible. But I apologize if I make any mistakes.**

**Enjoy!**

**Lettie **

"Kitty-Kate," Fred said at breakfast the next morning. "Wake up, little kitty." He poked my shoulder with his finger, causing me to grunt. I'm not a morning person. End of story.

"Mmmmm," I murmured, swatting his hand away. "Go away."

"Not until you finish your eggs," Fred smiled.

"And all of your pumpkin juice!" George added. I glared at them both. It was way too early in the morning for this.

"Oh, shut it," I said, cramming toast in my mouth.

"Ooh, now, don't be a crabby pants, Miss Katie," Fred warned mockingly. That was it. I scooped a spoon full of scrambled eggs and prepared to flick it directly in Fred' face.

"Miss Bell!" I whirled around to see Professor McGonagall standing directly behind me. I quickly put the spoon down, my eyes wide.

"Yes, professor?" I said meekly.

"What in the world are you doing?" I wracked my brain, trying to come up with a decent response.

"Revenge?" I smiled sweetly at her, praying she wouldn't give me a detention. She raised an eyebrow at me.

"Next time, Miss Bell, I advise you get your 'revenge' on Mr. Weasley when I am not around."

"Of course, professor." She almost smiled at me before handing out our class schedules. She continued down the table, her back now facing us.

"Man, Katie, I thought you were a goner for-" I flicked the loaded spoon at his face. "Ahhh! KATIE!" I doubled over, laughing. Everyone sitting around us thought the whole situation just as funny as I did. Fred was left picking the pieces of yellow egg of his face.

"Katie Bell, I swear I will get _my_ revenge," he threatened seriously. That only made me laugh harder. Granted, he was probably right, but this moment was just too funny to let go of so soon.

"Whatever you say, Freddie-dear," I replied, patting the top of his head. He glared at me in return.

"What classes do you have today, Katie?" Leanne had come over from the Ravenclaw table, and she stood behind me now. I grabbed my piece of parchment, which was now covered in eggs. Brushing it clean, I read over my classes.

"Potions first with the Slytherins!" I groaned loudly. Potions was my worst class (for the record, though, it was the worst for most Gryffindors), and having it with the Slytherins made it that much worse.

"You have Charms with us after that though, right?" I looked down again.

"Yeah! That should be fun." Just then, all of the food disappeared from the long tables.

"Students, it is time for classes to begin," boomed Professor McGonagall.

"Come on, Angelina, we've got History of Magic," said Alicia, tugging on Angelina's arm. She was currently in the middle of a rather heated argument with George. They were going on about something involving testing Skiving Snackboxes. I had no idea what those were.

"I swear, George, if you ever do that again, I'll kick you." Angelina gave him one last glare before leaving for class with Alicia.

"Aren't you guys going to class?" I asked the twins, who had yet to even glance at their schedules. They both looked at me, as if the idea was preposterous.

"Right," I said, shaking my head. "You two in class. Who am I kidding?"

"We go to class," defended Fred.

"Eventually," added George.

"Sometimes," finished Fred with a smirk. I rolled my eyes at the two of them.

"But shouldn't you be on your way to Potions?" I looked at the clock. I had two minutes.

"Crap!" I yelled loudly, shoving everything in my bag. "Snape's going to kill me!'"

"Run, Katie, run!" They yelled after me as I took off. Out the doors, down the corridor, take a left, down the stairs, take another left and-

"Ahh!" I shouted as I ran into something solid. My bag flew down the corridor, scattering my books and papers everywhere.

"Katie!" I looked up to see Oliver staring down at me. My face grew hot.

"Oh, Oliver, I'm so sorry, I'm-"

"Late for potions?" He smirked.

"Well, yeah," I gave him a half smile. "And you know how Snape loves to take points from the Gryffindors, and I don't want to lose points on the first day, so I was running, and then… Well, there you were." I bent over to pick up my books.

"Let me help," Oliver said as he went to grab the loose papers decorating the hallway.

"Thanks, Ol," I said as I crammed everything back in my bag.

"You know, Bell, you really shouldn't run everywhere," Oliver reprimanded as he handed me the last of the papers. "One of these days, you're going to kill someone." I grinned at him.

"Let's make sure it's Flint!" I giggled. Oliver laughed, his eyes lighting up.

"That's the spirit, Katie! Speaking of Flint, I have a couple of plays I want to run by you before I show them to the whole team. I devised a whole strategy on how we can beat the Slytherins and win the cup this year. I want to see what you think, though, cause there are some parts that I'm not entirely sure are possible, and-"

"As cute as this really is, I really must ask you to _get to class_, Miss Bell." The cold, drawling voice made both Oliver and I jump.

"Professor Snape!" I said, startled. "I'm- I'm on my way. I'll look at the plays later, Oliver," I said, catching his eye.

"It's a date, Bell," he replied, winking. A flutter shot through my stomach.

"_Go_, Miss Bell," Snape warned, pointed toward the dungeons. Not wanting to walk the rest of the way with him, I hurried down the hallway and into the dank classroom. Glancing around, I saw the only open seat was right in the front row. Groaning to myself, I slid into it just as Professor Snape entered the room.

"That will be ten points from Gryffindor, for Miss Bell's tardiness," Professor Snape smirked.

"But professor, I was in here before-"

"Silence, Miss Bell, or I'll make in twenty." I glared at him when he turned his back to the class. However, I had more important things to think about. Why in the world was I so excited that Oliver had asked me to go over Quidditch plays with him? Going over plays was nothing to get that excited over. It didn't make any sense. Why had that flutter of excitement shot through my stomach?

Too busy contemplating my run-in with Oliver Wood, I accidentally added way too many newt eyes to the potion I was supposed to be making. The cauldron began to smoke.

"Katie!" hissed my fellow Gryffindor, Mary, from behind me. I looked down and jumped slightly.

"Crap," I muttered, fanning the potion. Hopefully, Snape wouldn't notice. I glanced at the book, trying to figure out how to fix the problem. I didn't come up with much. I stirred it gently with my wand, trying to avoid an explosion.

"Time's up!" Snape hissed from the back of the room. "Fill a vial with a sample of your potion, and place it on my desk. Now." I grabbed a glass vial and dipped it into my potion, with was still steaming.

"Not you, Miss Bell." I looked up to see Snape lurking over my shoulder, smirking. "I'm afraid that potion is too toxic to keep in a vial." With a wave of his wand, my entire potion disappeared.

"That's a zero for Miss Bell," I heard him mutter as I walked away. My blood boiled. Snape was being so unfair! I deserved more than a zero on that assignment! Breathing heavily, I put my supplies away and shoved my book into my bag. As soon as he released us, I bolted from the classroom.

"Hey, Kates!" Fred had to run from his classroom to catch up with me. Still angry, I didn't slow down.

"Whoa there, Katie, what's wrong?" Fred looked at me with a hint of concern in his eyes. "Flint hasn't gotten to you already, has he?"

"No," I muttered. "But Snape has." Fred knew how much I despised both Snape and getting bad grades.

"What'd the greasy git do this time?"

"He gave me a zero on the first assignment!" I cried. "The _first_ assignment!"

"Was your potion really that bad?" I glared at him. "Kitty-Kate, I've seen your potions."

"Yeah, well, I was a little distracted," I defended.

"By what?" Oops.

"Quidditch," I answered, saying the first thing that came to mind. Well, it wasn't entirely a lie.

"Quidditch?" We had reached the Fat Lady's portrait.

"That's not the password, Mr. Weasley." She sounded bored.

"Fortuna-"

"Wait, Katie." Fred cut me off. "You're telling me you screwed up your potion because you were thinking about Quidditch?" He sounded skeptical.

"You don't believe me?" Fred rolled his eyes.

"I know how much you love Quidditch, Katie, but you're not Oliver Wood." I felt my cheeks grow warm. Fred's eyes grew wide.

"Oh my God," he whispered, smirking. "You were thinking about Oliver Wood."

"No I wasn't, Fred," I said quickly, turning to the Fat Lady. "Fortuna Major." The portrait swung open.

"Yes you were, Kitty-Kate," he teased, grabbing my arm. I turned around to him, my face inches from his.

"I did not spend an entire Potions class thinking about Oliver Wood, Fred, and if you spread that rumor around I'll hex you," I threatened. He laughed.

"I won't tell anyone that you have crush on dear Ollie-kins, Kates," he grinned. I shot one more glare at him before I crawled through the portrait hole to grab my Charms textbook.

"Bell! Weasley!" Oliver waved us over to the giant couch where he was sitting with Angelina, George, and Alicia. They were all chatting amicably. I shot Fred one last warning glare and we both made our way over.

"How did you guys beat me up here?" Fred asked, plopping himself down next to George.

"Magic, of course," he replied, as though it were obvious. Oliver rolled his eyes.

"Okay, team, I couldn't find Harry, I think he's still in class, but that's okay. Now, we won't be having any official practices until October, as usual, but I want to make sure you're back on your brooms before then." I stifled a smirk. Oliver didn't need to worry about me. I'd be out there.

"I also want to go over a few plays while I've got you guys here. I spent a lot of time over the summer- Katie, why aren't you sitting down?" He looked up at me with his big brown eyes. My heart skipped a beat.

"I have Charms in a couple of minutes, but it's okay, I'd rather stay and go over plays," I confessed. Oliver stood up, setting his playbook on the couch.

"Katie, go to class. I'll go over this stuff with you later."

"Really, Oliver, it's fine-"

"Go get your book, Katie, and go to class." I stuck my tongue out at him and ran up the stairs to grab my book. On my way out of the common room, Oliver grabbed my arm.

"Bell, Johnson, Spinnet, meet me on the pitch tonight at 6. We have plays to go over." Angelina glanced at Alicia, who raised her eyebrows at Fred and George. They were all silent for a bit.

"That's not going to work for us, Captain," said Alicia, finally.

"Why not?" Oliver sounded wary.

"Care to explain, George?" Angelina was angry.

"I told you, Angie, this time it wasn't my idea-"

"Be quiet, both of you," snapped Oliver. "Someone please tell me why half of my Quidditch team can't show up _on the first day of classes_."

"Detention," said Fred loudly. "Filch." Oliver sighed.

"I half expect this out of you and George, but Alicia and Angelina too?"

"They didn't do anything, Oliver. But Filch wouldn't listen to us," George defended. Angelina looked at him, surprised.

"Take this as a warning, then," Oliver chided. "And _please_ stop getting so many detentions! I'd like to be able to practice with my entire team!" He shook his head. "We'll go over plays later. Go, do your homework or something."

"Sorry, mate," commented Fred as the four of them walked over to the large table. I wasn't fooled; I saw George pull a deck of Exploding Snap cards out of his pocket.

"Bell. Class." My eyes shot to the clock; once again, I was going to be late. I bolted for the exit.

"Oh, and Katie?" I turned around, looking at Oliver.

"Yeah?"

"Be on the pitch at seven o'clock sharp. Don't forget." I nodded and climbed out of the portrait hole. I ran into the Charms classroom a couple minutes late, but luckily Professor Flitwick didn't seem to notice. I slid into the seat that Leanne had saved for me.

"Starting the year out right, I see," she smiled.

"Sorry, I got caught talking to Oliver," I whispered back. Her eyes shot to mine.

"And?" She looked at me expectantly.

"And what?" Why did everyone think it was so interesting whenever I talked to Oliver? He was my Quidditch Captain. Of course I should be talking to him. He had witnessed most my greatest moments and my worst moments. Like last year, after we won our first match, when George thought it would be hilarious to kiss me. Not only had it been my first kiss, I'm almost positive it was his as well. I think Fred paid him to do it.

"Katie?" Leanne's voice pulled me from my mind.

"The whole team, minus Harry, had a small meeting, and Oliver wanted to have a impromptu practice tonight, but Fred, George, Angelina, and Alicia all have detention, so I think it's going to be just me and him." I waved my wand around like Flitwick was doing, in hopes he would think I was paying attention.

"Oliver told you to meet him on the Quidditch pitch tonight alone?" Leanne sounded giddy.

"It's not like that, I swear," I replied, rolling my eyes. That small voice in the back of my brain, however, was protesting. Technically, Leanne was absolutely right. Oliver had asked me to meet him on the Quidditch pitch tonight at seven, and he knew that the others wouldn't be able to make it. Once he found out that they couldn't make it, wouldn't it have made more sense to reschedule to tomorrow night? I bit my lower lip. Why exactly had Oliver asked to meet him? My heart beat faster as my leg bounced up and down.

"Why wasn't Harry at the meeting?" Leanne asked while swishing her wand around. Harry. The word fell on my stomach like a rock. Of course. Harry would be at practice tonight. He would practice catching the snitch while I practiced scoring on Oliver.

"He was in class," I explained, flicking my own wand around. For some odd reason, I felt slightly disappointed for the rest of the class.


	3. Flying Solo

**A/N: Hey guys! I am SO sorry it has taken me this long to update; a mix of college and writer's block really don't add up so well. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this third chapter! I am on Christmas break now, so hopefully my updates will be more frequent. Happy Holidays and thanks for reading! Vi**

**Special thanks to abuu, Crazy-Obsessed-Writer52 and XritaskeeterhatersX for reviewing Chapter 2! Also to all of you who have put this story on alert!**

Chapter 3

"Bell! Over here!" Oliver stood by the broom shed, waving. He held up two brooms with his other arm. Smiling, I threw my book bag on the ground and sprinted over to him.

"Hey, Oliver!" I replied, grabbing my broom from his hand. Smoothing out a few stray ends, I had to resist from giving it a hug. This was by far the best part of coming back to school. "I just have to go change and then I'll be ready to go." I looked around. "Where's Harry?"

"Harry?" Oliver sounded surprised. "Well, I imagine he's probably in the common room, talking to Ron and the bushy haired girl," he said absentmindedly.

"Hermione," I corrected automatically. "But isn't this a team practice?" Oliver turned slightly pink.

"Well, I wanted it to be, but since the rest of the team is in detention, and I know how much you love to fly, I thought that tonight we could just…" he paused, thinking.

"Have fun," I finished for him. I smiled as my heart skipped three beats. Oliver and I were the only two on the pitch!

"Right," said Oliver, grinning. "Race you!" With that, he jumped on his broom and sped off into the sky. As soon as I realized what was happening, I took off after him.

"No fair, Ollie!" I shouted. "You had a head start!"

The sun flickered lazily on the horizon by the time Oliver and I made it back to the giant castle. The two hours of flying had literally flown by. I knew I would be sore tomorrow from all of the racing, but at the moment I didn't care. It felt so good to fly again. I felt free.

"Kates, are you listening?"

"Hmm?" I looked up at Oliver sheepishly. "You caught me."

"I swear, Katie Bell, you spend more time with your head in the clouds than here on earth." He shook his head. I grinned.

"That's why I play Quidditch, Ol."

"I was asking if you knew when the first Hogsmeade trip was." My pulse quickened. Was this his way of asking me to Hogsmeade?"

"I think it's in a couple of weeks," I said carefully. I didn't want to scare him away.

"KATIE BELL!" I have never regretted hearing Fred's voice more than I did that moment. Oliver and I both looked up, trying to find him. He was running through the hallway. He sounded desperate.

"Fred, slow down, what's wrong?" He made it to my side, panting. "Bad news, Kates. I overheard McLaggen in the bathroom, and apparently he's planning on asking you to Hogsmeade. I'm not sure if he was joking, but still, I thought you should know…" I turned to look at Oliver, but he was gone. Fantastic timing, Fred.

"Okay, he's gone. Listen, I need your help. George overheard Alicia and Angelina talking about how much Alicia likes him and-"

"Wait, what? I thought this was about McLaggen-"

"I just wanted to get Oliver out of here-"

"So you made that up-"

"No, I actually overheard him, but really, Katie, it's irrelevant, cause George is in a complete panic right now-"

"Because Alicia likes him-"

"Yes because Alicia likes him, and he likes Angelina, but apparently Angelina likes someone else, or at least that's what he overheard-" Yes, Angelina did like someone else. Angelina was crazy about Fred. Was I going to tell him that? Absolutely not.

"Well, tell George that he should act as though he didn't hear anything. Because he wasn't supposed to." And I should warn those two that they shouldn't gossip about crushes where the Weasley twins were lurking.

"That's it? It's that simple?" Fred looked shocked. I nodded.

"Easy as pie." I had a sudden thought. "Why couldn't Oliver hear all of this?"

"Seriously, Kitty-Kate?" I waited for him to continue. "Oliver doesn't allow dating within his team. What do you think his response to this fiasco would be?" My stomach clenched. How had I forgotten that small piece of information?

"Good point, Freddie," I said with a small smile. Fred looked down into my eyes with a serious expression.

"And that's something I don't want you to forget either, Katie," he said. My eyes widened a little.

"What are you talking about?" I didn't sound entirely convincing.

"I can read you like a book, Kates. Don't do anything stupid." I looked at the floor.

"Like you said, Fred, it doesn't matter because there is no inter-team dating. Come on, let's go back to the common room." I pulled him along by his arm, heading towards the great Gryffindor tower.

The first month of school passed by quickly. Between studying and classes I barely had time to eat, let alone practice Quidditch or sleep properly. Fred had been right about Cormac McLaggen, though. Not only did he ask me to Hogsmeade, but he also asked me about Quidditch and tryouts at least once a week. I kept telling him that Oliver was keeping the same team as usual, but it didn't seem to faze him.

"Are you sure, Bell?" He whispered over my shoulder one afternoon during History of Magic.

"Yes, McLaggen, I'm positive. Don't you play Keeper anyway?"

"Well, yes, I am quite the Keeper, but I'm also an excellent Chaser," he replied arrogantly. I rolled my eyes.

"Wood's not splitting up the Bell-Spinnet-Johnson trio, and he sure as heck isn't going to get rid of himself," I said. "Therefore, as I told you last week, there isn't a spot for you on the team. If you want to play so badly, why didn't you try out last year?" He snorted and leaned back into his chair, away from my ear. McLaggen _did_ try out last year, I remember. Unfortunately for him, I actually managed to score on Oliver. Hence, I got the position and he didn't. I figured bringing that memory back would shut him up so I could at least pretend to pay attention to the goblin rebellions.

"And class, remember, the first trip to Hogsmeade is this Saturday. You may go," Professor Binns droned. I stuffed my parchment into my book bag, hoping I could sneak out before McLaggen attacked again.

"Bell!" He called as I made my way out the door. "How does Saturday sound? Come to Hogsmeade with the wonderful Cormac McLaggen?" He flashed me a smile that he obviously thought was charming; however, all it did to me was make me nauseous.

"Sorry, I told Angie I'd go with her," I lied, pushing my way past him. I kept my eyes on the floor as I made my way to the Great Hall. I was starving.

"Wait up, Bell!" Oliver called from behind me. I whipped my head around, smiling absentmindedly. I'd much rather talk to Oliver than McLaggen.

"Blimey, Kates, you were practically running," he teased as he reached my side. I turned and we continued to walk.

"I was escaping McLaggen," I groaned. Oliver flashed me a concerned glance. "He wanted to take me to Hogsmeade," I explained. He relaxed a little.

"About Hogsmeade," he said slowly. I stopped walking, turning to face him. Was Oliver Wood about to ask me to Hogsmeade?

"There's a girl that I really want to ask. You know how bad I am at anything that isn't Quidditch," he smiled. I nodded, laughing. "But this girl… Anyway, I don't want to ask her unless I know she isn't going with anybody." He trailed off, looking at me expectantly.

"Okay…" I said, encouraging him to continue. My heart was beating at three times its normal pace.

"I know she's been asked," he said slowly, glancing down at my book bag. I concentrated on taking deep breaths before I exploded from suspense.

"Oliver, I can't help you unless I know who this girl is," I prodded. He looked up at me, his eyes staring straight into mine. Neither of us blinked.

"Promise you won't tell anyone?"

"Swear on my broom." Oliver looked down at the floor again, wringing his hands.

"Do you know if Annie Edgecombe is going with anyone?" My eyes glazed over and the world disappeared. I was no longer looking at Oliver, or anything for that matter. My heart hit the floor and my throat burned.

"I know that she's a Ravenclaw and you're a Gryffindor, and she's a sixth year this year, but I thought maybe you've heard something from Spinnet or Johnson..." He trailed off again, eagerly awaiting a response. I felt as though someone had just punched me in the stomach.

"I don't know," I said blankly. "I'll find out for you." Oliver's face dropped a little, but I didn't care. "Listen, Ol, I've got an essay to write," I lied. "I'm going to head back up to the Common Room. See you." I turned on my heel and walked calmly until I was out of Oliver's sight. Then, flinging my bag over my shoulder, I ran as fast as I could up the marble staircases until I reached the Fat Lady.

"Dragonpox," I muttered as fast as I could. I crawled through the hole and headed for the dormitory stairs.

"Katie, what's wrong?" I heard Angelina say as she sat up from the couch. My nose was burning now; I didn't look at her, but instead started right up the stairs.

"Leesh!" I heard Angelina call, and soon I felt two more sets of feet climbing up the stairs after me.

"Katie," Angelina said again as I opened the door to my dormitory. I tried to ignore her again, but she grabbed my shoulder and whirled me around. "What is going on?"

"Do either of you know if Annie Edgecombe is going to Hogsmeade with anybody?" I asked, my voice an octave above its normal range. They both stared at me oddly. I looked past both of them, trying to ignore the blurring of my vision. "Oliver Wood doesn't want to ask her unless he knows she's still available." Alicia's mouth dropped open while Angie's eyes bulged.

"Oh dear," Angie whispered quietly. "Come on in, Katie, close the door." She pushed me inside my dorm and wrapped her arms around me as Alicia closed the door. Only then did I let the tears slide down my face.


	4. Quidditch Isn't the Only Game

**A/N: Hello! I was so inspired by the massive amount of free time I had today as well as all of your lovely reviews. To those anonymous reviewers, thank you for your wonderful reviews! I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Vi**

"I don't even know why I'm crying," I muttered, wiping my nose on my sleeve. "This is stupid."

"It's not stupid, Katie," soothed Alicia, sitting down next to me on my bed. "It's normal. We'd be a little concerned if you weren't crying, actually." I looked up at her, my forehead crinkling.

"Why?"

"Because," chimed Angelina. "We can all see how much Oliver likes you, and, well," she paused, looking at Alicia.

"We think that you like Oliver too," Alicia finished slowly. I sniffed.

"I do _not_ like Oliver," I huffed.

"Yeah, Katie, you do." I shot a glare at her before looking out the window.

"You know, it's not a crime to like a boy," said Angelina. "Especially one as cute as Oliver…"

"You picked a good one, Kates," giggled Alicia.

"Yeah, well, he didn't exactly choose me, did he?" I snarled.

"Don't worry, Katie," she said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "Oliver likes you. It's clear to the rest of us. But he's a boy, and boys are stupid. You just have to give him time." I looked back at her, skeptical.

"How can Oliver like me if he's asking Annie Edgecombe to Hogsmeade?" This didn't make sense at all. If Oliver liked me, he would ask me to go with him. Not Annie.

"He's a _boy_, Katie," Angelina groaned. "They're all a bunch of gits." Speaking of gits, I remembered my earlier conversation with Fred.

"By the way, you two, don't go discussing your own crushes when the twins are lurking," I said. Alicia's face grew red.

"Oh God, Katie, what did they overhear?" Angelina bit her lip, trying not to laugh.

"Well, George overheard you talking in the bathroom earlier…"

"Oh no!" she moaned, falling back on the bed.

"That's what you get for liking one of those morons," laughed Alicia. I smiled, already feeling a little better.

"Oh, really?" Alicia sat up again. "How's Freddie dear, Angelina?"

"Oh, it's on!" cried Angelina, chucking a pillow at her.

"Ahh!" Alicia shrieked, jumping up and running out of the room. Angelina and I chased after her, laughing.

"Hogsmeade?" Angelina, Alicia and I looked up from our table the next day to see Fred and George hovering above us. I looked at Alicia and Angelina as we all attempted to cloud our amusement regarding those two boys.

"Course," I agreed, not trusting Angie or Alicia to be able to speak properly.

"Good," nodded George, who was holding a book.

"Wait a minute," said Alicia. "Are you actually holding a book, George? Don't tell me you're actually in the library to study."

"Of course we're not," piped Fred. "But there was no way Madame Pince would let us two through those doors if we didn't have a book.

"True," I laughed, looking back to my book.

"Good, I've got you all here," boomed a loud voice. My head shot up immediately; Oliver was lurking in the doorway.

"Shh!" cried Madame Pince from her desk.

"Bell, Johnson, Spinnet, Weasley, Weasley, Potter, let's go," he called, waving his arm. I looked around for Harry; he, Ron, and Hermione had buried themselves in books in a back corner. It didn't look like homework, but with Harry, you were never sure.

"Wood, _hush up_!" Madame Pince warned. I glanced back at the others, who were already packing up their stuff. I followed suit, although I had no desire whatsoever to see or speak to Oliver Wood.

"Alright," muttered Wood when we were all in the corridor. "I know this is short notice, but to the pitch. Now."

"You're having practice right now?" asked an incredulous Fred.

"Yes, Weasley, now let's go," Wood commanded, heading towards the stairs.

"Wood, I have to finish this moon chart for Divin-" Alicia began, but Oliver cut her off.

"You can finish it when we're done. It's been hell trying to get the pitch for practice, and Diggory cancelled because both his beaters are in the hospital wing with dragon pox, so McGonagall gave me the pitch for tonight." I looked at Fred and George, who both grimaced back at me. Oliver seemed to be in a particularly bad mood; no one was brave enough to complain any more. Harry trudged on next to me, silent.

"This is ridiculous," Angelina whispered behind me. "Wood knows that we can't fail our classes or we'll be kicked off the team. I never thought I'd say this, but I'd rather finish my homework than practice while Oliver is this touchy." I nodded my head in agreement.

"I can hear you, Johnson," Wood snapped. "You'll be flying extra laps today."

The practice that followed was one of the worst practices I could remember. Not only did it start to rain ten minutes in, but then Wood worked us for three hours straight without a break. At least it spared me of having to actually talk to him. After flying what felt like our hundredth lap, he finally dismissed us to the locker rooms. Well, he dismissed everyone else anyway.

"Bell, I want to discuss something with you," he called. "Everyone else, go change." I stood there with my broom, impatient. Whatever Oliver had to say, I didn't want to hear it.

"Kates," he said as he came over. My stomach clenched a little at that nickname. I bit my lip, ignoring it.

"What, Wood?" He raised his eyebrows, looking a little taken back.

"What's with the hostility, Katie?" Really, Oliver? Are you that stupid?

"You just forced a rainy, three hour impromptu practice on the team, and you're asking my why I'm hostile?" That wasn't the only reason, but it was sure as heck all I was going to admit.

"Sorry about that," he said, looking sheepish. "I didn't have a very good day, and practicing Quidditch was really the only thing that could make it better." I looked at the ground. A couple of moments of silence passed before I spoke.

"What happened, Oliver?" He looked away from me.

"Let's go inside before you catch a cold, Katie."

"As in, the castle?"

"Nah, captain's office." He grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the locker rooms. I stumbled after him, still carrying my broom.

"Okay," he said as he shut the door. The room was small; aside from a desk, a large poster of the Hogwarts crest and a chalkboard, it was plain. I didn't even know it existed until now. Peering around the corner, I saw a full bookshelf and an autographed picture of Gwenog Jones. I picked it up, smiling. I was a huge fan of the Holyhead Harpies.

"Isn't that brilliant?" said Oliver from behind me. I set the picture back on the shelf and turned around. No matter how heart melting he was, Oliver Wood was definitely not back in my good book just yet.

"Why am I here, Wood?" I asked, crossing my arms. "I have homework to finish."

"Right," he muttered. "Sorry about that. But I wanted to ask you if you knew anything about…" he trailed off, his cheeks turning slightly pink. I felt my throat burn again.

"Annie Edgecombe? She's going with Roger Davies." Looking for something to do, I took off my Quidditch gloves.

"Right," said Oliver suddenly. "Of course. Makes perfect sense. He's a Ravenclaw too." Neither of us spoke, both feeling a little awkward.

"Who are you going with, Katie?" I looked up at him, my eyes wide. Sure, _now_ he's going to ask me to Hogsmeade. Still, my heart skipped a couple of beats.

"Angie, Leesh and the twins," I said, releasing my wet hair from its tie. Shaking my head, I began to untie the front of my Quidditch robe.

"Why are you undressing, Bell?" Oliver asked, his voice cracking.

"Homework, remember?" I raised my eyebrow as I shrugged my damp robe off of my shoulder. "I figure if we're going to stand here in silence, I might as well get something done." Looking up at him, I noticed that his cheeks had grown even redder. What was the big deal? All I did was untie my hair and take off my robe.

"Alright then, Bell, off you go," he ordered, motioning to the door. "Oh, and one more thing," he called after me. I turned my head and waited for him to continue.

"Don't ever go taking your wet robes off alone with a boy in this room again." Despite myself, I burst out laughing. Oliver smiled, sitting down at the desk.

"I won't promise you anything, Ollie," I grinned. His mouth fell open as I turned around and headed to the locker room. Two can play this game.


	5. Fifteen

**A/N: Hello everybody! Before we continue, a special thanks to Crazy-Obsessed-Writer52, XritaskeeterhatersX and nikegirl0329. The reviews they leave keep me inspired to update! Now, on with the story and I hope you enjoy! Please review!**

"Happy belated birthday, Katie!" I awoke suddenly to the loud shouting of Angelina and Alicia.

"Come on, Kates, get out of bed," chorused two other voices. I grabbed my quilt and pulled it up to my chin.

"Fred, George, this is a _girls_ dorm!" I cried, tucking my hair behind my ears.

"Whazzguinon?" mumbled one of my roommates.

"Go back to sleep, Emily," Angelina cooed. At this point, Mary came in, smiling.

"Sorry, Katie," she said sheepishly.

"No can do, Kitty Kate," said Fred, sitting on the edge of my bed. "We figured that since we all had exams on your actual birthday, today was a better to celebrate than Tuesday was."

"And that you'd be more surprised!" finished George, plopping down next to Fred. I rolled my eyes, laughing.

"I'm definitely surprised, guys. Now get the heck out so I can change!" Fred winked at me before getting up and leaving.

"Alright, out of bed, Katie," Alicia said. As I was brushing my teeth, Angelina dug through my trunk.

"Perfect!" she cried suddenly, holding up a red shirt. "Put this on, Katie."

"Whmy dmms mit-"

"Spit first, Katie," Alicia laughed. I did as I was told.

"Why does it matter what I wear? We're just going to Hogsmeade today with the twins, right?"

"Lee's coming too," reminded Angelina nonchalantly. "And so is Oliver." My eyes almost bugged out of my head.

"What?" I shouted, dropping my hairbrush.

"Shut _up_, Katie," groaned Emily, rolling over in her bed.

"Sorry," I whispered. I turned to Angelina and Alicia, who were both grinning impishly. "You invited _Oliver_?"

"He asked us if he could tag along last night," explained Alicia. "We both felt kind of bad for him. He seemed lonely."

"I don't care if he's lonely," I moaned. "He can't come along! I'm mad at him!"

"We know you are," she replied calmly. "But maybe he'll realize how much he likes you if you spend some more time with him." I rolled my eyes, grabbing the shirt from Angelina and throwing it over my head.

"Fine," I huffed, slipping my shoes on. "But if you two leave me alone with him, I'll kill you." They both laughed as they dragged me down the stairs and to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Where're we going first?" asked Fred through a mouthful of eggs as Angelina, Alicia and I sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"That's disgusting, Fred," responded Angelina as she buttered a piece of toast. I filled my plate with eggs and potatoes.

"Let's let Katie decided," said Lee suddenly. "It's her birthday celebration, after all." I looked at him, smiling. His cheeks turned a little red, but he smiled back.

"I like that idea," I said. "I say we go to-"

"Honeydukes?" My stomach tightened as I felt Oliver Wood walk behind me before sitting down on my left. Unable to help it, I turned to meet his eye.

"How'd you know, Oliver?" He shrugged.

"Every time you come back from Hogsmeade, you've got a giant armful of Honeydukes chocolate. Since there's no Quidditch supply shop in Hogsmeade, I figured Honeydukes."

"It's true," Fred laughed. "One time, I think Kates bought the store out of chocolate."

"I did not!" I cried, reaching over the table to punch his shoulder. He ducked, and I punched Lee instead.

"Oops!" I giggled. "Sorry, Lee!"

"That's alright," he laughed. "Here." Lee punched Fred in the shoulder for me.

"Ow!" yelped Fred, his twinkling eyes wide. "Oh, it's on, Lee!" He was about to retaliate when Professor McGonagall walked by.

"Mr. Weasley, not getting into trouble on a Hogsmeade day, are we?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Course not, Professor," he lied, flashing her a sugary grin. Giving him one last warning look, she continued down the row of students.

"Close one, Fred," George said. Downing the last of my pumpkin juice, I stood up.

"Alright, guys, let's go!" Oliver stood up too, winking at me. I smiled automatically.

"Wait just a second, Kitty Kate," Fred grinned devilishly. Both he and George then jumped on the table.

"We're celebrating Katie Bell's birthday today!" They shouted at the top of their lungs. Every student whipped his or her head around as laughter rippled through the hall.

"_Mr. and Mr. Weasley_!" gasped Professor McGonagall. However, they didn't seem to be listening.

"To help us out, we want everyone to sing-"

"NO!" I cried, grabbing Fred's dangling arm. "Guys, get down _now_-"

"_Off the table this instant_-"

"FRED!" I yelled, pulling on his arm as hard as I could. He stumbled off of the table, bringing George with him.

"Don't injure my players!" shouted Oliver, trying to catch Fred. I burst out laughing, unable to contain myself anymore.

"Bloody hell, here she comes," muttered Fred. "Get out, now!" The seven of us ran from the Great Hall, laughing the whole way.

"Alright, alright," gasped Alicia as we found ourselves on the path to Hogsmeade. "After Honeydukes, though, we have to go to the Three Broomsticks."

"Why?" I asked, pulling the hood of my sweatshirt over my head. It was cold for October.

"It's not every day our Kitty Kate turns fifteen," replied Fred, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

"And we got you presents!" squealed Angelina, jumping up and down.

"You guys didn't have to do that!" I cried.

"Course we did, Kates," Oliver chimed in. I looked at him.

"And why is that, Oliver?"

"Cause you're my Kates," he whispered in my ear. I tingled shot down my spine. I saw Angelina and Alicia exchange a smirk out of the corner of my eye. Fred dropped him arm, crossing it with his other one in front of his body. Suddenly I felt a hand slip something in the pocket of my sweatshirt. Alicia and Angelina engaged the twins in conversation, leaving me free to talk to Oliver unobserved.

"Wha-" I started, but he cut me off.

"Shhh, not now, Kates," he grinned. "It's a birthday present, but I didn't want to give it to you in front of everybody." My heart was beating at twice its normal speed.

"Why not?" I concentrated on keeping my voice from cracking.

"Because," he smirked. "Just wait and open in tonight." I raised my eyebrow, but he refused to give me any more information.

The day at Hogsmeade flew by; Angelina and Alicia gave me a new pair of Quidditch gloves, and Fred, George, and Lee treated me by paying for my usual armful of Honeydukes chocolate. The whole day, though, that small box was burning a hole in my pocket. What in the world had Oliver gotten me that he didn't want anyone else to see? After visiting the candy shop, Zonko's for the twins, the Three Broomsticks, Scrivenshaft's to get Alicia's new quill and the Shrieking Shack, we were all exhausted.

"Good birthday celebration, Katie?" George asked as we made our way up to the Gryffindor tower.

"Definitely," I smiled, and it really had been.

"Anyone up for exploding snap?" Lee suggested as they plopped down in the oversized chairs.

"Course," agreed the twins.

"Sorry, guys, I've got to do my Runes essay. I'll join you when I'm done?" Without waiting for a response, I flew up the stairs and to my room. I knew that I wouldn't have long until Angelina and Alicia followed me up here. Thankfully, the dormitory was empty. Finally pulling the box out of my pocket, I ripped the paper off. It was a shiny gold box. Taking the lid off, I saw nothing but a small piece of parchment.

_Meet me at the Astronomy Tower at 9:00 tonight. Oliver_

My hand shook as I read and reread the scrap of writing. Although I now understood why Oliver didn't want me reading this in front of everybody, a thousand new questions flooded my mind. What did Oliver have planned?

"Spill, Katie," Angelina said as the door slammed shut. I looked up to see her and Alicia standing there, each sporting a small smirk. I said nothing, but held the message out for them both to read.

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!" Angelina shrieked as she passed it to Alicia.

"What does he want?" I asked quickly, although I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.

"What do you think, Katie?" Alicia said as she rolled her eyes. "The only advice I have it to keep that red shirt on!" I laughed as I pulled my sweatshirt off and looked in the mirror. She wasn't kidding; I did look pretty good.

"Do I need to tell him that I got the message?" I asked suddenly. "To make sure he comes?"

"Nah, you'll be fine," assured Angelina, examining her hair in the mirror. "I'm so excited for you though, Katie! Will this be your first kiss?"

"Woah, Angelina, you're jumping the gun a little there," chided Alicia. "Don't get her hopes up, just in case. I think that you should slip a note back in his pocket."

"Ooh, flirty!" Angelina commented as I grabbed a quill out of my bag. Leaning down on my desk, I scribbled quickly.

I'll be there, Oliver. I'm surprised you didn't suggest the Quidditch pitch. Katie

"Does this look good?" I asked, showing the note to Alicia.

"Perfect," she replied, folding it in half. I smiled as I grabbed my book bag and my Ancient Runes book. Taking the note from her, I slid out the door and down the stairs. Oliver was half asleep on the burgundy couch, his playbook strewn over his chest. I leaned over him and slipped the note into his pocket. He stirred a little, opening his eyes.

"See you later, Ol," I whispered in his ear before heading to the library.


	6. On Fire

**A/N: Thanks again to all my wonderful reviewers! I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, but I want to get it out there. Happy Holidays to all- if you need me to update before Christmas, leave a review telling me so! If I get enough, I will! **

I glanced over at the clock again. 8:30. Still a half hour before I was supposed to meet Oliver. I looked down at my Runes essay. I had written "Katie Bell" at the top. The rest of the parchment was blank. I folded it up, sliding it into my book bag. Hopefully I wouldn't be too distracted to finish it tomorrow. Cleaning my quill off, I tucked it in the front pocket. Picking up m Runes translation book, I opened to the chapter that I should have read for today's class and tried to get something done.

My brain refused to focus. It kept jumping back and forth like the twins after too much firewhiskey. Was Oliver expecting me to kiss him? Or maybe more? He was seventeen, after all. I only just turned fifteen. I bet he is way more experienced that I am. Blimey, what if I don't know what to do? Would he know that I've never been kissed before? Or worse, what if he only wants a private place to talk about Annie Edgecombe some more? My heart was pounding and it felt like I had a rock in the pit of my stomach.

At 8:53, I know I couldn't sit in the library any longer. Whatever was in store for me, I had to face it in the Astronomy Tower. Gathering my stuff, I slung my book bag over my shoulder and set off toward the tower.

"Kates, where're you going?" A voice called from behind me. I turned to see the bright orange hair of Fred Weasley.

"To meet someone," I smiled coyly, continuing to walk.

"Wait," he called, running to catch up with me. "Katie-"

"Relax, Freddie, it's just Oliver," I said. "I'll be fine." At the mention of Oliver's name, Fred's whole demeanor changed. He was not longer teasing me; he looked dead serious.

"Katie, please listen to me," he said, looking me straight in the eye and grabbing my arm. I couldn't look away. "Oliver's got… a reputation-"

"What are you talking about?" I snarled, pulling my arm away from him. He didn't let go. "That's your Quidditch captain you're talking about, Fred. I'd be a little more respectful if-"

"Katie, I'm warning you for your own good-"

"I don't care what you think-"

"Please, Katie, he's a-"

"Let go of me!" I shouted, wrenching my arm from his grip. His animated body slumped as his arm fell to his side. I tucked my hair behind my ears, huffing.

"The Astronomy Tower?" I refused to meet his eye; instead I stared at the floor, not answering his question.

"Don't come crying to me," he muttered before turning on his heel and walking away.

"Katie," Oliver grinned as I opened the door of the tower.

"Hi, Ol," I replied as I made my way over to him. My heart was racing before; the fight with Fred, the long staircase, and the sound of Oliver's voice did nothing to help it.

"Does someone know you're here?"

"Yeah," I said. "Leesh and Angie do. They kind of… demanded to see the note." I thought about mentioning Fred, but something in my stomach told me that would be a bad idea.

"Good," Oliver replied. "You shouldn't go places alone at night without telling someone. Just the other day I heard that Montague landed Jane Abbott in the hospital wing with some nasty hex. Course, he hasn't been punished cause she still can't speak and there weren't any other witnesses." I'd heard the same story, and it still made me shudder.

"So you're saying you're going to hex me?" I teased. Oliver rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Kates, you caught me."

"So," I began again after a couple moments of silence. "Beside the fact that you plan on cursing me, why are we here?" As I said them, I knew my words sounded a lot harsher than I meant them. "Not that I mind, of course," I added hastily.

"Well," Oliver said slowly, "I couldn't figure out what to get you for your birthday. You're my best chaser, although don't tell Johnson and Spinnet that I said that, so I guess I wanted it…" he trailed off, staring outside. I walked over and rested my forearms on the ledge next to his.

"You're pretty special, Bell," he finally finished. I looked at him, but he continued to stare out into space. "And then I remembered that Professor Sinistra said something about a meteor shower that would be visible tonight. So I thought, since you like flying and the daytime sky so much, you'd probably really like the night sky too. Since you aren't in Astronomy, I thought-" I placed my hand on top of his to stop the rambling. He seemed just as surprised by my boldness as I was.

"I love the night sky. Thanks, Ol," I smiled. "This is the best birthday gift I've ever gotten." And I meant it. We stood in silence until Oliver suddenly yelped and pointed at something.

"Look!" he shouted. "It's starting!" The small beams of light looked like hundreds of tiny shooting stars leaping across the black night sky. Oliver put an arm around my waist about halfway through the show; the gasp that escaped my lips had less to do with the meteors and more to do with the tingling sensation that shot up my spine.

"Can I wish on a shooting meteor?" I asked suddenly.

"What the hell are you talking about, Katie Bell?" Oliver laughed, pulling me closer. I had to will my brain not to melt right there.

"You know how you can wish on a shooting star?" I looked at him expectantly, but he just raised an eyebrow at me. Maybe that was just a muggle thing. I made a mental note to run that by Angelina later.

"I really have no idea what you're talking about, Bell, but go for it," Oliver said. I closed my eyes and wished as hard as I could.

"Can you imagine playing Quidditch with this going on?" I smiled as more brilliant sparks shot across the sky.

"It would make scoring way easier for Angelina and Alicia; the opposing Keeper would be pretty distracted," he commented.

"And why not for me?" I put a hand on my hip, turning to face him completely. He smirked.

"Eh, the Keeper is already distracted by you, Bell. Why do you think I let you on as a second year?" He winked. I tried not to swoon.

"Oliver!" I groaned, playfully punching him in the arm. "Is that why I always score on you during practice, too?"

"Absolutely, Kates," he exaggerated. "In fact, when you come flying at me with your long, brown hair, I can't even block one hoop, let alone three." I giggled as my mind raced. Was he serious behind the joking?

I turned my attention back to the night sky.

"It really is beautiful," I said after awhile.

"Yeah," whispered Oliver. "You are." I turned my head, surprised.

"Wha-" My voice died in my throat when Oliver softly put a finger up to my mouth. Then, he slowly bent over and pressed his lips gently against mine. Sparks flew from my head to my fingertips. All too soon, he broke away. His face was an inch from mine, looking almost angelic in the moonlight. His deep green eyes stared directly into mine. He almost seemed to be waiting for something. Unable to contain myself, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him again. He immediately responded, putting his arms around my waist and deepening the kiss. I was on fire.

After what felt like an eternity and only a moment, we broke apart again. Breathing heavily, I smiled at him. He didn't return it.

"Come on, Bell, let's get you back before Filch or Percy find us." Grabbing my arm, he pulled me out of the tower and we quietly made our way back to the Common Room.

"Thank you, Oliver," I said as I stood at the bottom of the staircase to the girls' dormitories. "I had a wonderful time."

"I'm glad, Kates," he replied, still not smiling. My stomach didn't feel right.

"Is something wrong?" I whisper. He looked at me, his eyes burning.

"I shouldn't have kissed you, Katie," he muttered. My insides hit the floor.

"What?" My voice is barely audible.

"I shouldn't have kissed you," he repeated, shaking his head. Before I could say anything else, he turned and ran up the stairs to his dormitory, leaving me more confused and alone than ever.


	7. Run

**A/N- Hi everyone! Sorry this update has taken so long- College life got in the way! Thank you to everyone who left such kind reviews and put my story on alert. I will try to have the next update out sooner!**

**Vi**

Chapter Seven: Run

My heart felt heavy and my insides squirmed as I closed the door to my dormitory as quietly as I could. Mary and the others were definitely asleep. Changing into my rattiest (and most loved) pair of pajamas, I noticed two small pieces of paper on my bed. I picked up the first one.

Come to our dormitory and tell us everything when you get back! A and A

That was the last thing on Earth I wanted to do right now. I grabbed the second slip of paper.

If you need someone to talk to who isn't Angelina or Alicia, I'm in the fifth door on the right. Fred

I glanced at the clock; it was one in the morning. Knowing the twins, though, Fred wouldn't mind. I pulled my Gryffindor sweatshirt over my head and shoved my feet into my fluffy slippers before I left the room.

I gently knocked on the dormitory door, not wanting to wake Lee or George up. The sound of laughter rippled through the air. I pressed my ear to the door.

"That's disgusting, Lee," Fred hooted. "But completely awesome!"

I knocked louder, smiling to myself.

"Who's there?" I heard Lee call.

"I'll get it, guys," Fred said quickly. I heard two bounding footsteps and the click of an unlatching lock.

"I knew it, the bloody arse," Fred said when he saw me standing there. "What did I tell you, Katie?"

"He's not bad," I argued. "I just… He said that…" I faltered, unsure as to why I was defending him.

"Oi, Kitty Kate," George called from his bed. "Come to join the fun?"

"Game over," Fred replied. "I'll be back in a bit." He closed the door behind him and headed down the stairs. I followed him. After we both plopped down on the overstuffed burgundy couch, he looked me in the eye.

"What happened?" I was thankful it was dark in the room, because I felt my cheeks grow warm.

"Well, I met him in the Astronomy tower, where we talked for a bit, and-"

"I don't need to hear that part," he said. "Tell me the important part."

"He kissed me," I said abruptly.

"I gathered that."

"And then when he was walking me back, he told me that he shouldn't have kissed me and then left." All I could hear for awhile was Fred's light breathing as we were both silent.

"He doesn't deserve you," Fred muttered eventually.

"What?" I heard him perfectly well, but couldn't think of anything else to say.

"If a guy doesn't know appreciate a girl like you, Katie, he doesn't deserve you." The surge of happiness that I felt in my chest was a nice break from the weight of the rock currently residing in my stomach. For lack of a better response, I gently rested my head on his shoulder. It wasn't long before I felt the soft pressure from his head on mine and we both drifted to sleep.

"Should we wake them?"

"Oh, let them sleep."

"Is that Fred or George?" I opened my eyes a crack, trying not to let too much light into them. What were the twins doing in my dormitory? Why was there something warm in my bed? I sat up suddenly, remembering the previous night's events.

"Mornin', Katie," yawned Fred. I looked up to see the smirking faces of Alicia and Angelina hovering over me.

"So, Katie," Angelina began. I quickly scanned the Common room, doing a double take when I saw Oliver hunched over his playbook in one of the corners. My stomach dropped. He glanced up and caught my eye. I turned away immediately, my jaw clenched.

"Not now, Ang," I whispered. Her head cocked a little, and I subtly jerked my head in Oliver's direction. She glanced over and quickly looked back at me, her eyes widened a little.

"Want to head down to the Great Hall and get some lunch? You too, Fred," she added.

"Lunch?"

"It's noon," she smiled. I looked at Fred, grinning.

"You make a comfortable pillow, apparently," I said.

"As do you, Kitty Kate," he replied. "Are George and Lee already down there?"

"Yeah, they left about ten minutes ago," said Alicia. "Come on you two, let's go. I'm starving!" I hopped to my feet as Angelina grabbed my arm.

"If something happened between you and Fred…" she whispered in my ear, but I cut her off.

"Nothing happened. He was right all along and we were talking and we accidentally fell asleep. But let people wonder about it, I don't care," I finished a little harshly. Angelina raised her eyebrows.

"What about Oliver?"

"I don't think he cares either way," I said. The steady tone of my voice surprised me.

"You know that's not true, Katie," Angelina said immediately.

"You'd be surprised," I answered before turning around and beginning to walk.

"Katie Bell, what in the world happened last night?" Alicia was looking at my impatiently, and Fred just shrugged. Well, he already knew.

"We watched a meteor shower from the Astronomy Tower," I started after we had all crawled out of the portrait hole. I watched Fred roll his eyes while Alicia sighed.

"And we were talking, and he told me that I was beautiful, and then he kissed me."

"So romantic," swooned Alicia. "Then what happened?"

"He said that we should probably get back to the Common Room before Filch or Percy caught us, walked me back, told me he shouldn't have kissed me, and then he went up to his dormitory," I finished.

"That's good, though! Why are you upset?" asked Alicia. I looked at her incredulously. "It's good," she explained, "because he kissed you-"

"Leesh, he said that he shouldn't have though-"

"That doesn't matter, Fred," she cut him off. "He probably said that because he doesn't allow inter-team dating."

"Somehow I doubt that's the only reason," Fred muttered. "Regardless, Katie, be careful. Quit while you're ahead."

"Don't quit quite yet," Angelina said as we entered the Great Hall. "But I'm with Fred on this one- be wary." Fred looked at Angelina in surprise, and a small smile spread across his face.

"Thanks, Ang," he said.

"Pessimists," Alicia rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's go eat."

I didn't see Oliver until much later that day, when we were all studying in the Common Room.

"Bloody hell!" George cried as his hand of cards suddenly exploded for the third time. I glanced up from my Potions notes to look at their game; George was cursing softly as Fred, Lee, Alicia, and Angelina were laughing.

"Play the next round, Katie?" Fred asked, grinning at me. I waved my notes in the air.

"Some of us would actually like to pass our O. eventually," I replied.

"You've been studying for hours, Kates." The sound of his voice sent my heart into a tizzy and my stomach to the floor. I looked up to see Oliver looming over me. Out of the corner of my eye I could see both Fred and Angelina's faces harden. I turned my eyes back to my book, not answering.

"Anyway," he continued, "we've got a match coming up in two weeks. I want to make sure you guys are all eating right, getting enough sleep, and finishing your homework early. Bell's already got a head start on that last one," he grinned. I still didn't look at him.

"Also, if any of you get a detention, I'll kill you. I need _all_ of you at practice every night for these next two weeks-"

"Practice _every night_?" cried Fred.

"We might as well get a detention to make our murder easier on you, Wood," groaned Angelina.

"Then quit the team," Oliver said harshly. Angelina looked at me, her eyebrows raised. I shrugged.

"Sorry," he said in a much nicer tone. "It hasn't been the best day." Angelina shot me another look, but I just rolled my eyes. He probably found out that Annie Edgecombe is actually dating Roger Davies or something dumb like that.

"I'd also like to remind you all of the rule about inter-team dating," he added. My face grew warm immediately. I caught Fred's eye and I could tell he was trying not to laugh. "I noticed some… rather friendly behavior between two of you earlier this afternoon, and if I see it again, you're both off the team."

"Oliver," Fred started. "It's not what you think. We were talking and accidentally fell asleep-"

"Regardless," interrupted Oliver, "I think we all need to be reminded of that rule." I had been concentrating on the properties of lacewing flies for the entire speech, but at this point I couldn't stop myself from looking up at Oliver. He was looking down at me with a melancholy expression. My heart melted a little at the sight of his big brown eyes. _"Yes, you are,"_ his words from the previous night ran through my head. My throat burned as the edges of my sight blurred a little. I threw my book on the table and took off toward the portrait hole.

"Katie!" I heard Alicia and Fred call. I looked back; Oliver was staring at me. I stared back, waiting for him to say something, to call me back, to tell me he didn't mean it.

He didn't.

I crawled through the portrait hole. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I took off sprinting and didn't stop until five minutes later, when I found myself standing outside the Quidditch pitch in the rain.


End file.
